


fire and ice

by taemochi



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Like really slow, M/M, Sky High AU, Slow Burn, i'm bad at tags idk, jeno is super angsty, side markhyuck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-24
Updated: 2019-01-24
Packaged: 2019-10-15 08:37:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17525396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taemochi/pseuds/taemochi
Summary: jaemin has wanted to become a superhero since he discovered his power, while jeno treats his like a burden.it's a dance of fire and ice, but can they exist in harmony?





	1. prologue

**Author's Note:**

> hello! if you follow me on twitter you might have seen this already, but i am turning my [nomin sky high au](https://twitter.com/honeytteoks/status/1015821022564704256) on twitter into a full fic! 
> 
> please be patient with updates as i have 2 jobs and will be going back to school starting monday ): 
> 
> this first chapter is just an introduction of the characters/their powers

**jaemin:** pyrokinetic, able to create, shape, and manipulate fire 

he's friendly and outgoing, an overachiever (some would say a teacher's pet)

**jaemin's friend group:**

**mark:** super strength 

clumsy, oldest in the friend group, really into drake 

**donghyuck:** shapeshifter

a prankster, sarcastic and brash, lives for drama

**chenle:** zoolingualism, able to talk to animals

soft and cute, loves all animals, very loud

\- 

**jeno:** cryokinetic, able to create, shape, and manipulate ice

extremely introverted, stubborn, has a short temper

**jeno's friends:**

**renjun:** chlorokinetic, able to summon, control, and manipulate plants and vegetation (includes wood, soil, roots, fruits, flowers, moss, etc.)

intuitive, protective of jeno, smart, enjoys drawing/painting and flower arrangements

**jisung:** technokinesis, able to control technology

memelord, has seen every vine in existence, another prankster, snarky sometimes


	2. 01

jaemin is late. 

he missed the bus and had to ask mark’s dad for a “ride”. the quotation marks are necessary because getting to school by car is impossible. 

mr. lee is flying jaemin up to school, and jaemin has his eyes shut tight in order to prevent himself from looking down and emptying his stomach on a poor passerby somewhere below them. 

jaemin is never missing the bus again.

it just so happens that evaluations are today, something all the students - jaemin included, look forward to in order to show off the progress they’ve made with their powers.

jaemin wishes he would’ve remembered to turn his alarm on last night. he’s dressed like a bum and his hair is still sticking out at weird angles because he didn’t want to waste time brushing it. 

well, at least he brushed his teeth.

“you doing alright, jaemin? we’re almost there,” mr. lee says.

jaemin gives him a wobbly smile and a thumbs up in lieu of an actual answer. 

a few seconds later, the clouds break and the familiar silhouette of the school appears. 

when his feet are on solid ground, jaemin breathes a sigh of relief. flying is too far out of his comfort zone. 

“thanks for flying me up mr. lee, i really appreciate it,” jaemin says, bowing slightly.

mr. lee waves it off. “oh, it’s no problem. i hope you do well on evaluations!” 

jaemin nods, determination beginning to course through his body. “i’ll do my best!”

“alright, i’m gonna head back home now. please try to prevent mark from breaking anything,” mr. lee pleads.

jaemin laughs and waves goodbye as mr. lee jumps off the platform. 

“shit, i’m 15 minutes late to homeroom,” jaemin mutters to himself, running towards the school entrance. he hopes mr. nakamoto won’t antagonize him too much about being late.

as jaemin runs through the main hallway, he feels a chill in the air but figures the school may have just turned the air conditioning up a little higher than normal. that thought flies out the window when he turns the corner and crashes into someone who feels like a block of ice. 

“oh my god i’m so sorry,” jaemin blurts immediately. “i shouldn’t have been running but i’m late to homeroom -” 

he cuts himself off due to the withering gaze the boy he ran into is giving him. jaemin shivers involuntarily, and whether it’s from the sudden drop in temperature or the boy’s cold demeanor, he isn’t sure. 

“i really am sorry,” jaemin tries again, but the stranger sidesteps him and continues to walk to the opposite side of the hallway, not saying a word.

jaemin barely hears mr. nakamoto say _nice of you to finally join us, jaemin_ when he walks into the classroom, because he’s too busy thinking about the boy with tousled black hair and piercing blue eyes. 

he wonders when he’ll see him again.

❅ 

jeno is tired.

tired of constantly isolating himself and having his guard up.

he didn’t ask for this. every day jeno wakes up he wishes he was a normal, powerless, human being. 

but instead he has to suppress the power that constantly seems to leak out of him involuntarily. it’s like the harder jeno tries to hide it, the more it wants to show itself to anyone who will watch.. and people are definitely watching. 

his parents, who pride themselves in their powers, always trying to subtly ask if jeno has felt anything out of the ordinary lately. his teachers, who praise the other kids that flaunt their abilities. 

on the news, children with unique powers are always being highlighted and shown off. it’s become a contest, people putting their egos on the line to see who comes out on top. 

jeno doesn’t want to be a part of any of it. which is why, to everyone else’s knowledge, he’s just an introverted boy who likes to read instead of socializing with his classmates. 

things get messy the one time he allows himself to loosen up.

jeno sits in a clearing surrounded by trees, close to his neighborhood. 

he takes a deep breath and places his palm onto the grass. when he pulls his hand away, an icicle sprouts from the earth, following the path his hand takes. 

when he swipes his hand across the grass, the blades freeze instantly. if he imagines a block of ice in his hand, it appears. if he’s not paying attention, the ground surrounding him will be covered in frost. if he’s not careful with physical contact, people could get frostbite, or freeze completely.

it terrifies him, and holds him back from experimenting with his powers further than making small ice structures in the clearing he’s been coming to since he’s discovered his cryokinetic ability. 

a rustling noise puts jeno on high alert. no one ever comes to the clearing because there’s no trail to get there, and there’s no time for him to smash all of his structures. 

two boys stumble into the clearing, laughter ceasing when they see the scene in front of them. 

“ice blocks.. in july?” the smaller one says confusedly, looking up to the other boy.

jeno’s mind races as he tries to think of a way to explain himself.

“is this because of you?” the taller one asks jeno. 

jeno tries to make a run for it - but suddenly the grass surges up and wraps around his legs, rendering him immobile. 

“what the hell did you do?” jeno snarls, trying to break away.

“sorry, i just want to talk, why are you being so hostile?” the taller boy says, stepping closer to jeno. “my name is renjun, and this is jisung.”

“i didn’t ask, let me leave,” jeno persists. he could probably just freeze the grass until it shatters and try to run again but he doesn’t know what else would happen if he did. 

renjun steps in front of him. “i’m chlorokinetic, which means i can control anything found in nature. if i release you, you have to promise not to run or i’ll bind you to one of the tree trunks.”

jeno stops struggling to look at renjun. “what do you want?” 

“are you cryokinetic? we learned about it in class, apparently it’s pretty rare,” jisung pipes up. 

“what’s it to you, pipsqueak?” 

renjun frowns. “don’t talk to jisung like that, he didn’t do anything wrong. your power is cool - no pun intended.”

“i’ve spent my whole life trying to hide that i have a power, and i’m not gonna let you two be the ones to out me. just let me go and forget you saw anything,” jeno says. 

jisung steps into jeno’s space and looks up at him. “if we promise not to tell, will you be our friend?”

jeno runs through the possible scenarios in his head and decides it would be best to just go along with tweedledee and tweedledum. 

“fine.”

jeno’s legs are released from the grass’ vice grip, and he gets a staticy feeling in his legs when the blood begins to course through properly again. 

“what else have you tried to do with your powers?” 

“can you make me an ice sword?” 

jeno breathes out a deep sigh. 

renjun and jisung become the only two people besides jeno to know about his power. until.. 

_fast forward to 2 months ago_

jeno readjusts his backpack as he walks down the sidewalk. 

he goes into the alleyway he uses as a shortcut to get home quicker, but it’s a decision he regrets almost immediately after.

jeno feels a sharp yank on his backpack, causing him to stumble backwards into the asphalt. 

a masked stranger comes into his view brandishing a knife, and jeno begins to panic. 

frost begins to crackle and spread through the asphalt, but jeno is too scared to focus on controlling himself. 

he stands up only to get slammed into the wall, one of the stranger’s arms firm against his neck while the other holds the knife, glinting in the moonlight. 

“you’re one of those fucking freaks aren’t you?” the person spits. “you all think you’re so fucking special, better than the rest of us. let’s see you try to patch yourself up after this.”

jeno sees the knife coming towards him and grabs the stranger’s arm. upon contact, ice appears out of thin air, encompassing his attacker’s body and freezing him in place. 

jeno whips his head around to scan his surroundings, and all he sees is ice. the covered asphalt has become slippery underneath his feet, and frost climbs up the sides of the two buildings that make up the alley. 

jeno doesn’t know what to do. 

police sirens blare, and the thought of running away flits through jeno’s mind but he knows better. they’ll find him sooner than later. 

“freeze!” 

jeno would laugh at the irony, but he figures now isn’t the time. 

“what the hell happened here?” the policeman whispers to himself as he looks around the alley. the temperature has dropped so low that his breaths come out in small puffs. 

the policeman finally seems to notice jeno standing in the shadows, stiff like he’s frozen too. 

“did.. did you do this?” 

jeno nods, almost imperceptibly. 

“well, i’m gonna have to take you to the station and ask some questions, son. i’ll also have to call your parents, but i’m sure they’ll be glad you’re safe,” the policeman says. 

a humble attempt at comfort, but jeno knows his life will never be the same after this. 

jeno rides in the backseat of the police car, silent the whole way to the police station. he knows he won’t be punished, but people finding out about his power feels like a punishment in itself.

30 minutes later, his parents burst into the station, looking distressed. 

“jeno! oh, my baby. what happened?” jeno’s mom says, cupping his face in her hands.

“that man came at me with a knife and i panicked. ice started to form everywhere and when he tried to cut me i grabbed his arm. the ice swallowed him up,” jeno explains mechanically. 

“oh my god, this whole time we didn’t think you had powers! thank goodness, it kept you safe,” his mom replies, relief evident in her voice. 

jeno feels his dad’s hand on his shoulder. “good work son, i’m glad you’re not hurt. you took a bad man off the streets.”

“not to interrupt, but since his power has manifested, it’s required by law to register him. he also needs to be transferred from regular high school to neo high, so he can hone his powers with supervision,” the policeman cuts in. 

“of course! we’ll get the paperwork done immediately,” jeno’s mom responds. 

jeno wants to throw up. there’s no hiding the excitement in his mom’s voice, or the proud look in his dad’s eyes. 

“alright, that’s pretty much it. the case is already closed since the attacker didn’t have the chance to run so you’re all free to go,” the policeman says.

“thank you for your help officer,” jeno’s dad replies.

jeno lets himself get pulled up from his seat by his mom and follows them to the car where he sits in the backseat looking out the window, the same way he did in the police car. 

his mom looks back at him. “we know you’re tired so your father and i won’t be asking you any questions tonight. get some rest when we get home and we’ll talk about it tomorrow, okay?”

“okay.”

jeno’s mind is blank. if he starts to think about what just happened he’ll probably start to cry and he’s too tired for that right now.

but one thing’s for sure, his days of living a mundane life are over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> find me on [twt](http://www.twitter.com/honeytteoks) and [curiouscat](http://www.curiouscat.me/fairy_vmin) (:


	3. 02

_present day_

jaemin is buzzing with a mix of excitement and nerves as he walks to the gymnasium where the evaluations will be held. 

the long hours jaemin has spent staying after school practicing and improving his power will finally pay off today, when he gets to show everyone how much stronger he’s gotten. 

when jaemin gets to the gym he scans the crowded room until he sees chenle, donghyuck, and mark standing near the outer edges of the group. 

as he gets closer, the distinct mix of chenle and mark’s laughter is almost too much for jaemin’s ears to handle. the familiarity of it is always comforting, though.

“look who decided to join us,” donghyuck comments, red eyes gleaming underneath the fluorescent lights.

“nana!” chenle exclaims, bounding over to give jaemin a hug.

jaemin laughs and wraps his arms around chenle to stabilize himself. “hey guys, ready for evaluations?” 

“yep, i think i can handle monster truck this time,” mark says, looking pleased with himself.

“wow, seriously? that’s so cool,” chenle gushes, eyes practically sparkling.

“how you manage to do that yet still be stuck with your noodle arms is beyond me,” donghyuck scoffs. 

mark lets out a squawk of disbelief. “my arms are not noodly!” 

“whatever helps you sleep at night, markie.” 

“attention students, we will begin power evaluations now,” coach seo announces. “please keep at least a 15 meter distance from the platform at all times to ensure safety. good luck!”

everyone begins to shuffle around, creating a wide berth between the platform and the people standing closest to it. jaemin, mark, donghyuck, and chenle move forward in order to have a better view.

“let’s begin.” 

it’s easy to tell who practiced and who didn’t, based on the look on coach seo’s face alone. he doesn’t say much, but his facial expressions speak louder than his words.

“lee minhyung!” 

mark scrambles up from his seat, tripping up the stairs on his way to the platform, shaking the entire gym when his hands slam onto the ground to catch himself. 

jaemin hears quiet peals of laughter go around, and sees mark turn pink as he shifts his weight from foot to foot standing in the middle of the platform. 

“introduce yourself, we have some newbies,” coach seo instructs.

mark nods, looking a bit more composed. “hi, i’m lee minhyung but everyone calls me mark.” 

“power?”

“super strength, as you may have been able to tell,” mark says sheepishly. 

coach seo cracks a smile. “you think you can handle the monster truck this time, mark?”

“i can do it,” mark says determinedly.

“let’s see it then,” coach seo replies, pressing a button on his remote. “monster truck!”

jaemin holds his breath when the ceiling opens up and drops a giant monster truck onto mark, but he worried for nothing. mark catches and holds the truck up with ease, face shining with pride. 

everyone cheers, impressed. a crane lowers to bring the truck back into the ceiling, and mark comes back to his spot next to donghyuck, grinning from ear to ear. 

“lee donghyuck!” 

“not bad, markie. but let me show you how it’s done,” donghyuck says, smirking as he gets up from his seat. 

jaemin groans. donghyuck’s adventurous streak always got him into trouble. 

donghyuck walks onto the platform, basking in the spotlight as always. 

“lee donghyuck, shapeshifter, at your service,” donghyuck says, bowing exaggeratedly. 

“alright let’s get on with it, how many shifts can you do in a minute now?” coach seo cuts in.

“see for yourselves.”

donghyuck shifts, and a large black pitbull with red eyes stands on the platform, then a wolf, then a bear. there’s 10 seconds left when donghyuck shifts one last time into coach seo himself. 

donghyuck walks over and slings his arm over coach seo’s shoulder. “pretty good, huh? i look just like you. i’ve upgraded to human shifting.” 

coach seo has a pained look on his face. “impressive, but creepy. still, good job donghyuck, you’ve improved a lot.” 

“i know, right?” donghyuck chirps, skipping down the steps back to his seat. 

“that was amazing, hyuck,” mark says when donghyuck gets back. 

donghyuck flashes him a toothy grin. “tell me something i don’t know.” 

“are you guys flirting right now? is that what’s happening?” chenle asks, making a face. 

mark flushes pink while donghyuck shrugs nonchalantly. “mayhaps.”

jaemin laughs, ruffling chenle’s hair. “just don’t pay attention to them lele.” 

“huang renjun!” 

“oh, i’ve seen him in p.e. before,” donghyuck whispers. “never seen his power though.” 

a small boy with brown hair walks onto the platform. he looks calm, and smiles slightly when he gets to the center. 

“my name is huang renjun, and my power is chlorokinesis.” 

as he reveals his power, he waves his arm in an upwards motion. the floor cracks as vines shoot up, twisting together to form a massive cocoon around renjun until only his face is visible. 

“holy shit,” mark mutters. 

jaemin’s eyes are wide as he watches renjun wave away the vines. 

coach seo nods in approval. “good, now would you mind fixing the floorboards?” 

“oh, right!” renjun exclaims, sliding his hand across the floor. the wooden panels move back into place like nothing ever happened.

“park jisung!” 

a lanky boy with silver hair steps up onto the platform, a mischievous look in his eyes. 

“park jisung, technokinesis,” he explains simply. 

“he’s in my homeroom!” chenle exclaims. “he’s pretty funny.”

there’s audio feedback coming from the speakers in the gymnasium for a second, then a horrendous bass boosted version of ‘let the bodies hit the floor’ blasts loudly, making everyone cover their ears. the music is so loud the floor shakes, much like what happened when mark tripped earlier. 

“that’s enough jisung!” coach seo yells over the music. 

the music immediately cuts off, jisung trying to hide his laughter behind his hand and failing miserably. 

“could you please demonstrate your power without trying to burst everyone’s eardrums?” coach seo drawls. 

jisung sighs. “i guess so.” 

he pulls out his phone and waves his finger around. there are a few clicks, then the phone reshapes itself in the shape of a tiny robot, waving its little arms. when jisung puts his hands together, the phone goes back to its original state. 

“thank you, jisung.” 

“anytime coach,” jisung replies cheekily, stepping off the platform. 

“zhong chenle!”

chenle stands up and walks onto the platform, eyes forming crescents when he smiles. “hi, i’m chenle! my power is zoolingualism.” 

“any preference on which animal you’d like today?” coach seo asks. 

“birds please, doesn’t matter which kind,” chenle responds. 

coach seo nods and presses a button on his remote again, making the ceiling open up and release a flock of bluebirds. 

when chenle looks up, they immediately swoop down and perch on his head and shoulders. the birds who don’t fit waddle around on the floor around chenle’s feet. 

chenle whistles a tune that sets the birds into action. they begin flying in an intricate formation, twisting and turning in the air, chirping in harmony. chenle’s power is always a pleasure to see. 

chenle whistles again, and the birds form the shape of a heart in the air before landing in a line in front of chenle’s feet, bowing their little heads. 

there’s a chorus of “ _aww_ ” coming from the crowd, and chenle lets out his famous dolphin like laugh, clapping in delight. 

“great job, chenle,” coach seo comments before opening up the ceiling again. 

“thanks!” chenle replies, waving at the birds as they fly upwards. 

“that was really cool, lele,” jaemin says, giving chenle a smile when he gets back. 

chenle smiles back. “it was nothing, but thanks nana.”

“na jaemin!”

jaemin jumps up from his seat as soon as he hears his name. this is it. 

he walks onto the platform, feeling nervous all over again. “hello, i’m jaemin. my power is pyrokinesis.” 

“go get ‘em tiger!” donghyuck screams, effectively making jaemin’s ears turn pink.

“should i put the protective bubble up?” coach seo asks, finger hovering over a button on his remote.

jaemin shakes his head. “it’s okay, i can control it.” 

“alright, let’s see it then.”

jaemin holds his palm out and concentrates. after a second, a small flame appears and he smiles, the warmth giving him a sense of comfort. 

then the flame expands, spiraling around jaemin’s body, and stop just shy of reaching the ceiling. the flames dance, but jaemin wants to do more. 

the shape of the flames switch into a gigantic pair of wings, spread from one side of the gym to the other. the movement of the fire looks like feathers rustling in the wind. the room is bright, and in jaemin’s eyes, the flames look like they’re sparkling. 

jaemin knows the heat must be getting uncomfortable for everyone else, so he extinguishes the fire, small wisps eventually turning into smoke. 

the room erupts in applause, making jaemin’s chest swell with pride. he did it. 

“your control has gotten a lot better, good work jaemin,” coach seo says, smiling.

the smile on jaemin’s face threatens to split his face in two but he doesn’t even care. he’s still smiling when he gets back to his spot next to chenle. 

“you killed it jaem!” mark whisper-yells, sticking his hand out for a high five. 

“ah yes, i always wondered what it would feel like to be a rotisserie chicken,” donghyuck jokes. 

jaemin punches his arm and rolls his eyes. 

there’s a moment of silence while coach seo reads something from his clipboard. 

“alright everyone, we have a new student. it’s his first day here so be nice,” coach seo says. “lee jeno!” 

jaemin’s eyes widen in recognition when he sees the boy coming up the platform steps. black hair, cold blue eyes. 

it’s him. the boy from earlier. lee jeno. 

“lee jeno. cryokinesis,” jeno mutters, a slight frown on his face. anyone could tell he would rather be anywhere else. 

everyone waits in silence, but jeno does nothing to imply that he was planning on showing his abilities. 

“uh, jeno? it’s time to demonstrate your power,” coach seo states. 

jeno’s mouth twists into a grimace. “do i really have to?” 

when the words leave his mouth, people begin to whisper. 

_why would someone refuse to show their power? that’s so weird._

_he seems a little stuck up, what’s his deal?_

_it’s not like coach seo is asking him to do anything crazy, he’s acting like a brat._

jaemin feels a pang of anger, but he doesn’t know why. he doesn’t even know the guy, but he still feels bad that people are speaking badly of him already even though their earlier interaction was nowhere near pleasant.

coach seo gives jeno a confused look. “well, we are at power evaluations. so you would need to demonstrate your power for me to evaluate it.” 

“fine.” 

jeno brings his foot up and slams it onto the ground. the temperature in the room suddenly drops, and jaemin wraps his arms around himself to conserve heat. 

the frost surrounding jeno’s foot spreads throughout the entire gym, no space left untouched. everyone stands up to avoid _literally_ freezing their butts off. 

jeno waves his arm upwards, and an ice pillar erupts from the ground all the way to the ceiling, creating thick, jagged icicles that begin to grow downward at an alarming rate. 

“stop!” coach seo yells. 

jeno blinks and shakes his head like he’s woken up from a trance. 

“there, happy now?” jeno sneers. 

when jeno taps his fist on his palm, the ice turns into fine snow that falls and settles on everyone in the room. 

he walks off the platform and out of the gym without saying another word.

the heavy silence that ensues after jeno’s exit feels like a heavy blanket draped over the whole gym. 

that, and the literal blanket of snow that everyone is covered in. 

coach seo sighs. “jaemin, would you mind helping us out a bit?” 

jaemin nods, raising the temperature in the room until the snow melts. renjun widens the cracks in the floorboards to allow the melted snow to drip out before putting them back to normal. 

“sorry, but can jisung and i go after him?” renjun asks, already heading towards the doors with jisung close behind. 

“go ahead,” coach seo says dismissively. 

the evaluation continues after that, but jaemin is no longer paying attention. he, mark, donghyuck, and chenle move to the outskirts of the crowd in order to speak to each other. 

“was that the guy you ran into earlier?” mark asks in a hushed tone. 

“yeah, that was him,” jaemin confirms. “i guess he’s just not a very social person.” 

“that’s putting it lightly,” donghyuck scoffs. “all of us would’ve been popsicles if coach seo didn’t say something.” 

chenle frowns. “maybe he was just nervous? he looked really uncomfortable and coach seo said it was his first day.”

“do renjun and jisung know him?” jaemin questions. 

“it looks like it,” mark comments. “do you think he’s gonna get in trouble?”

donghyuck shrugs. “they’ll probably let him off easy since he’s new. lecture him about discipline and boring shit like that.”

“you’d know all about that,” chenle mutters under his breath. 

donghyuck grabs chenle by the shirt and wraps an arm around his neck. “i heard that you little shrimp. wanna try saying it to my face?” 

“okay, okay! sorry!” chenle manages to get out. 

“please stop fighting, people are looking,” mark hisses, eyes darting around.

donghyuck turns his nose up to the air. “good, i love an audience.”

“hyuck, _please_ ,” mark pleads. 

“ugh, fine,” donghyuck says, releasing chenle from his grip. “you’re such a killjoy.” 

chenle struggles to catch his breath while mark rolls his eyes. 

jaemin feels a nudge at his side. when he looks up, the three boys are staring at him with questioning looks in their eyes.

“are you feeling alright, nana?” chenle asks. “you haven’t said anything in a while.”

“i’m fine, just wondering if they’ve found him yet,” jaemin mumbles. 

“if he keeps that angsty teen behavior up, this school year will be one for the books.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> find me on [twt](http://www.twitter.com/honeytteoks) and [curiouscat](http://www.curiouscat.me/fairy_vmin) (:


	4. 03

jeno sits on the rooftop ledge, dangling his feet as the breeze ruffles his hair. 

_i don’t want to be here._

_i never wanted this._

the door to the rooftop bursts open, renjun and jisung stumbling into view. jeno barely turns his head to the side in acknowledgement. 

“hey.” 

“didn’t realize you had such a flair for dramatics,” renjun drawls, taking a seat next to jeno. 

jisung takes the spot on the opposite side, bringing his hand up to flick jeno’s forehead. “you let your feelings take over. be more careful, hyung.”

jeno doesn’t respond for a moment, mulling over his thoughts. “it’s been harder to control since that night. it’s like a dam waiting to burst at all times, and i’m tired.” 

renjun sighs. “jen, we know that you never wanted anyone to find out about your power, but it happened and there’s no going back. maybe you should take this opportunity to learn how to control it instead of letting it get the best of you.” 

“i’m only here because i have to be. i don’t plan on ever using my power outside of this school again, no matter what my parents have to say,” jeno replies coldly. “while the rest of you are excited to become heros, i can’t think of anything i want less.” 

“but trying to push it back hasn’t done you any good,” jisung argues. “whenever you get distressed you can barely handle it, it’s dangerous for you and whoever is around.” 

jeno moves off the ledge and back onto the rooftop, frowning. “you don’t understand because you can’t relate to me,” he says, voice rising. “it’s easy for you to say that because you like having a power. i just want to be a normal teenager who doesn’t have to worry about anything other than my next math test, not learning how to be a hero that i never wanted to be in the first place.” 

“jeno, calm down,” renjun says slowly. he and jisung were both standing on the rooftop now too, giving jeno the pitying gaze he’s come to hate. 

jeno didn’t notice the ice crystals forming on his fists, or the way their breaths are coming out in visible puffs. he glances at his hands and shakes them off, trying to even his breathing and clear his mind. 

the lunch bell rings out through the silence, breaking jeno’s concentration. 

“i want to be alone. don’t look for me this time, i mean it,” jeno warns, walking back into the stairway. 

renjun and jisung watch as the door shuts behind him, melancholy looks on their faces as they feel their friend shutting them out again.

❅ 

jaemin, mark, donghyuck, and chenle sit at their usual lunch table, picking at the mediocre cafeteria food.

“you’d think they would feed future heros something better than unidentifiable slop,” donghyuck grimaces, letting the food plop from his fork back onto the plate. 

“it’s not that bad,” mark replies, mid-chew. 

“first of all, you’re disgusting for talking with your mouth full,” donghyuck states. “second of all, you don’t like ketchup so we already knew you had no taste buds.” 

“i have taste buds,” mark mutters, frowning as he continues to eat. 

their lunch table is located towards the outer part of the cafeteria, where it’s open save for the roof over their heads. 

chenle giggles as he plays with a few stray birds that have landed near their table, tempting them with the apple slices from his tray. 

jaemin absentmindedly chews on an overly salty fry, still thinking about what happened during jeno’s evaluation. he startles when someone snaps in front of his face. 

“what?” jaemin grumbles.

“you keep spacing out dude, you sure you’re okay?” mark asks. 

“i’m fine, eat your slop,” jaemin replies, waving him off. 

“are you still thinking about that jeno guy?” chenle questions, turning his attention away from the birds momentarily. 

“yeah,” jaemin admits. “i’m just a little worried, that’s all. he seemed really out of it during his evaluation.” 

“you just met him today and you’re already worried?” donghyuck scoffs. “i mean i guess he’s cute but he wasn’t exactly friendly fred, nana.” 

jaemin shrugs. “i know, but still. i just have this feeling in my gut that i can’t explain. i want to ask renjun and jisung some questions.”

“today must be your lucky day, here they come,” chenle says, looking past jaemin’s shoulder. 

renjun and jisung walk to the table in the farthest corner of the cafeteria, immersed in conversation.

“i’m gonna go over there,” jaemin declares, getting up from his seat. 

“jaemin, don’t,” mark hisses, trying to pull jaemin back down. “they’re just gonna think you’re a weirdo.” 

jaemin pulls his hand away and starts to walk away. “i don’t care.” 

when jaemin gets close to their table, renjun and jisung look up, giving him a confused look. 

“can we help you?” jisung asks. 

“uh, yeah, i wanted to ask you some questions about your friend jeno,” jaemin replies, fidgeting with his sleeves.

renjun narrows his eyes at jaemin. “what about him?”

“i was just a little concerned after seeing his evaluation, is he okay?” jaemin responds. “it looked like he was struggling to control his power.” 

jisung gives renjun a look before turning back to jaemin. “it’s not really our business to talk about.” 

“oh, of course,” jaemin blurts, nodding his head. “were you able to find him though?” 

“yeah, we found him,” renjun answers. “he’s fine, he just needs some time alone. it’s understandable that he’s a bit overwhelmed on his first day.” 

“that’s good to hear,” jaemin expresses, a ghost of a smile on his lips. “i know you probably think i’m weird, but i really did just want to make sure that he’s alright.” 

jisung snorts, putting his attention back to his food.

renjun studies jaemin’s face for a moment before he speaks, like he’s searching for something. 

“it takes a lot for him to open up to people, but it’s worth it, if you’re willing to put in the effort.”

jaemin thinks he is. 

jaemin smiles. “i’ll keep that in mind. sorry for interrupting your meal, i’ll go now.” 

“bye,” renjun replies, giving jaemin a small wave. 

when he gets back to his seat at the table, donghyuck, mark, and chenle are on him like hounds. 

“what did they say?”

“did they tell you to stop being a creep?” 

“are you gonna finish your fries?” 

jaemin sighs and pushes his fries towards chenle. “you’re gonna make the birds fat, but knock yourself out.” 

“also, they basically told me it was none of my business. but apparently they found him and he’s alright so that’s good enough for me.” 

“see, you were worried for nothing,” donghyuck replies, finishing off his juice. 

“i want to try being friends with him,” jaemin muses out loud. 

“i think you’re being a little ambitious,” mark comments. “he hasn’t even spoken one word to you.” 

“yet,” jaemin adds on, pointing a finger at mark. 

“aw, look at our wittle jaeminie, the friendly neighborhood pyrokinetic,” donghyuck coos, mussing jaemin’s hair. 

“ _stop_ ,” jaemin whines, moving out of donghyuck’s reach. “he just seems like an interesting person, is all. plus he’s new so he’d probably appreciate having new friends.” 

“doesn’t seem like he wants to be here at all,” mark says. 

“guys, maybe we shouldn’t judge him from our first impression,” chenle cuts in. “if nana wants to try to be his friend then let him.”

“oh by all means, knock yourself out jaem,” donghyuck replies. “just don’t come running to us when he turns you into an ice pop.” 

jaemin is about to argue when the bell rings, signaling the start of classes. 

“see you guys later, i’m off to biology class,” mark announces, picking up his tray to drop his trash into the bin. 

“i have gym, maybe i’ll shift into coach seo and see how many people i can scare,” donghyuck says, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. 

“please don’t get yourself in trouble again,” jaemin pleads. 

“no promises.” 

“let’s go nana, we can’t be late,” chenle says, tugging on jaemin’s sleeve. 

jaemin picks up his backpack and puts his arms through the straps before throwing away his leftover food. 

chenle’s classroom is right next to jaemin’s, so they always walk together after lunch. 

“have fun in history class, lele,” jaemin calls out. 

“not happening,” chenle responds. “good luck in chemistry.” 

when jaemin walks into the classroom, he does a double take when he sees who’s sitting in the previously empty chair at his regular table. 

jeno. 

he’s looking out the window, staring at the vast expanse of blue that has become a comforting view to jaemin. he’s definitely getting a few looks and whispers from the other students but he either pretends not to hear or just doesn’t care. 

jaemin hesitates for a few more seconds before gathering the courage to take his seat. 

jeno doesn’t move, and jaemin thinks he’d be great at playing one of those human statues that you see on beach boardwalks. he certainly has the facial structure for it. 

jaemin clears his throat in an attempt to get jeno’s attention, but he just continues to stare out the window resolutely. 

jaemin is nothing if not determined. “hi, i’m na jaemin. sorry for running into you earlier.”

jeno spares him a glance from the corner of his eye, then turns his whole body away.

jaemin breathes out a noise of disbelief. “hey, didn’t your parents ever tell you it’s rude to ignore someone who’s speaking to you?”

this seems to get jeno’s attention, because he turns around and gives jaemin the same withering look from that morning. 

“didn’t _your_ parents ever tell you to mind your own business?” 

“you know, i don’t know what i did to deserve this kind of attitude from you,” jaemin replies. “i’m apologizing for this morning and i’m trying to be nice because you’re new. are you always this hostile?” 

“i don’t need you to be nice to me, i need you to leave me alone. i’m not here to make friends,” jeno answers. 

“what’s wrong with making friends?” jaemin asks. “i know renjun and jisung are your friends, what’s the issue with having one more?” 

“i don’t know how you know they’re my friends, but i don’t really care,” jeno responds. “i don’t need to explain myself to you.” 

mr. qian chooses that moment to walk into class, smiling brightly. “hello everyone, sorry i’m a little late, i had to finish printing our handouts for today.” 

jaemin reluctantly turns to face the board, silently fuming at jeno’s harsh words. renjun wasn’t kidding when he said it was difficult to get jeno to open up. maybe jaemin should ask him for some advice when he sees him again. 

mr. qian walks around the room to pass out the stapled packets he’s holding, still slightly warm from being fresh out the printer.

“as you know, we’re starting labs so we’re going to be working in pairs,” mr. qian starts, and jaemin has a bad feeling about what he’s going to say next. 

“in order to save you the trouble and to encourage socializing, your partner will be the person you share a desk with!” 

there it is. 

jaemin chances a look at jeno, who looks like he’s ready to bolt out of the classroom door at any second. 

when the bell rings, jeno leaves the room so fast jaemin has no time to think about saying something. 

jaemin sighs and slowly packs up his things, dragging his feet as he leaves the room thinking about the terrible results mr. qian’s partner system has brought. usually, jaemin has no problem with partners or group projects due to his sociable personality, but jeno is proving himself to be the exception.

the hallway is full of people grabbing things from their lockers and talking to their friends, and jaemin wants to go home and eat ice cream instead of staying after school to practice like he originally planned. 

jaemin’s about to walk past the gym when he sees renjun walking in his direction, carrying what looks like a potted plant, except it’s moving. 

jaemin decides to ignore that fact, focusing on the more important matter at hand. “renjun!” 

renjun whips his head around at the sound of his name, eyes widening slightly when he recognizes jaemin’s face. he picks up his pace, re-adjusting his backpack when he’s in front of jaemin. 

“hey jaemin, what’s up?” renjun greets. 

“i don’t know if you’ve heard, but mr. qian assigned lab partners for his chemistry class,” jaemin starts. 

“and jeno was paired up with you?” renjun cuts in. “i know.” 

“yeah, and he still refuses to speak to me or even look in my direction!” jaemin exclaims. “how am i supposed to get a good grade if my lab partner wants to act like i don’t exist? i tried talking to him again before we were paired up together and he basically told me to fuck off.” 

renjun raises an eyebrow in question. “he actually told you to fuck off?” 

“okay, he didn’t say it like that but he did say that he wasn’t here to make friends and that he wanted me to leave him alone so it’s basically the same thing,” jaemin replies, pouting slightly. “who doesn’t want to make friends when they’re new to a school? it doesn’t make sense.” 

renjun stares at jaemin’s face for a second before bursting into laughter. “oh my god, are you seriously pouting right now? that’s hilarious.” 

“my grades are not a laughing matter!” jaemin replies indignantly. “make him talk to me, _please_.” 

“not gonna lie, it sounds like you’re more concerned about making him acknowledge your presence than you are about your grade,” renjun says. 

“i don’t know what you’re talking about,” jaemin sniffs. “even though no one’s ever given me the cold shoulder like this before and i’m like the nicest person at this school other than chenle. but it’s fine! i’m fine. i just want to pass.” 

“ _right_ ,” renjun responds disbelievingly. “well, to be honest with you, i had a hard time becoming friends with jeno too. i literally had to wrap his legs up in grass to stop him from trying to run away. i don’t think that kind of method would work too well with you though, so i guess just keep trying until you wear him down?” 

jaemin takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself. the task of making jeno let down his guard is seeming more and more difficult by the second. 

“does he have anything he likes that i could use to break the ice? no pun intended,” jaemin says.

renjun seems to think for a moment, his eyes drifting to the ceiling in concentration. 

“he likes anime, cats, chocolate milk, glazed doughnuts, ice cream, ramen, and dark chocolate,” renjun lists, counting off on his fingers as he goes. “there’s more but those are his top favorites, so i suggest you start with those.” 

jaemin nods and tries to file away the information in his mind. “thanks, i will.” 

“okay, i gotta go, i’m going to the greenhouse to plant this little sprout,” renjun says, waving around the potted plant he’s holding. 

“alright, sorry for having to bother you again,” jaemin replies, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“it’s cool, it should be pretty entertaining for me to watch you try to get jeno to crack,” renjun responds, already starting to walk towards the greenhouse. “good luck!” 

“thanks,” jaemin mutters, walking into the gym.

the ice cream and moping can wait. for now, jaemin wants to let off some steam.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> find me on [twt](http://www.twitter.com/honeytteoks) and [curiouscat](http://www.curiouscat.me/fairy_vmin) (:

**Author's Note:**

> [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/peachyhoneys)  
> [curiouscat](http://www.curiouscat.me/fairy_vmin)
> 
> (:


End file.
